Nick Oliver '12

For Master of Construction Management graduate Nick Oliver ’12, Jefferson was part of his life years before his studies began.

As a child, he spent a lot of time at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital with his mother, who worked there for two decades as a biomedical technician. “When she was on call and had to come in, she often brought me and my siblings along,” Oliver says. “We spent a lot of time either visiting or around the hospital with her.” 

When it came to his career, though he took a more circuitous path, it ultimately led him back to Jefferson.

Oliver once dreamed of designing the automobiles of the future. He was an engineering studies major at Lafayette College with a minor in architecture studies. Then, in his senior year, he decided to pursue construction project management.

“The thing that drew me to the field was that I would be involved in the building of major structures,” Oliver says. “I was interested in design, and as an engineer, I’ve always been one that likes to take things apart, put them back together, and understand how things work and systems operate.”

Growing up around the corner from Jefferson’s East Falls Campus, Oliver was familiar with the school and the area. “It’s a great school and a beautiful campus,” he says. “Attending Jefferson helped to catapult and position me to obtain work in my field.” 

Oliver is proud of Jefferson’s growing reputation in the industry. “Several of my colleagues are also graduates of the same master’s program at Jefferson,” he shares. “I’m seeing more and more graduates come out of Jefferson with construction management degrees.”

Following graduation, Oliver completed an internship with associate professor John Barnes, who has since become a trusted mentor. “He’s a very reliable resource for me,” he says. “I’ve learned from him how to address and approach the many challenges that are almost inevitable in construction and construction management.”

In the 11 years since graduating and completing his internship, and Oliver, who started out his career as a rotating project engineer, is serving as a vice president at BFW Group, LLC in Philadelphia. In this role, he provides client relations and project management services, overseeing projects from concept through final delivery. “It’s very important that we keep good communications and relationships with our clients,” he says. “One of the things that I learned is that there’s no such thing as good news and bad news—there’s just news—and the sooner you make that news available, the sooner everyone can either plan and prepare for it or react to it.”

Oliver’s Jefferson ties remain strong. His company was part of the owner representation team that helped to coordinate construction of the Honickman Center, Jefferson’s 19-story, 462,000-square-foot flagship medical building that opened in 2024.

Even today, Oliver says he bases his work on a simple lesson he learned at Jefferson—that the foundation of every project isn’t the brick, mortar, wood, and steel; it’s the human connection. 

“I think it commonly gets overlooked, because at times, we can get caught up in the mechanics of things and forget the impact we have on what we do and who we work with,” he shares. “I’ve been fortunate to serve with teams that are very dedicated, not only to the project, but to each other. There is a sense of family, where we look out for not just the project’s best interests, but the best interest of everyone who works on and benefits from it.”  

Oliver is proud of his ability to work through challenges and obstacles while remaining optimistic through the entire process. “There are many times when, depending on the nature of the project, we may run into obstacles or conditions that are daunting,” he says. “Nevertheless, we always figure it out. There’s a saying: 'We may not know exactly how we’re going to get to the finish line, but we always figure out how to do that one way or another.' And I’m very proud of that.”